1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a computer casing, and in particular to a computer casing comprising a locking mechanism for readily securing/detaching parts of the computer to/from the casing, such as a disk drive and a side panel of the casing.
2. The Prior Art
A computer comprises electronic devices housed in a casing. The electronic devices are usually supported by cages that are fixed inside the casing by means of for example screws. Disk drives are examples that are supported by disk drive cages inside the casing. As shown in FIG. 1, a 5.25" compact disk-read only memory (CD-ROM) 100 is fixedly attached to opposite side walls 120a of a disk drive cage 120' that is in turn fixed to an outside casing 101. The CD-ROM 100 is fixed to the disk drive cage 120' by means of locking screws 180 received in holes 160 defined in the side walls 120a and threadedly engaging with mounting holes 140 defined in side walls 100a of the CD-ROM 100.
When attaching the CD-ROM 100 to the disk drive cage 120', the CD-ROM 100 must be held with one hand in order to align the holes 160 of the disk drive cage 120' with the mounting holes 140 of the CD-ROM 100. This is inconvenient during assembly and/or maintenance of the CD-ROM 100.
Referring to FIG. 2, a conventional approach to the problem is to provide a pair of guiding rails 200 fixedly attached to the side walls 100a of the CD-ROM 100. The CD-ROM 100 may be deposited into a disk drive cage 220 with the guiding rails 200 movably received in corresponding guiding grooves 260 defined in side walls 220a of the disk drive cage 220. Locking screws 250 or retaining tabs (not shown) are applied to firmly fix the CD-ROM 100 to the disk drive cage 200. Even though this suggestion provides convenience when attaching the CD-ROM 100 to the disk drive cage 200, the guiding rails 200 must be firstly attached to the side walls 100a of the CD-ROM 100 which complicates the assembly process.
As the computer evolves quickly, electronic parts thereof operate at a high frequency and emit electromagnetic radiation. The electromagnetic radiation is blocked by the computer casing. However, to effectively block the electromagnetic radiation, the electronic parts must be tightly enclosed by the casing. This makes it difficult to remove the casing during maintenance.
To overcome such a problem, the computer casing is formed with an opening shielded and covered by a detachable panel. Conventionally, the detachable panel is secured to the casing by means of bolts which is a time-consuming and laborious job. Furthermore, electromagnetic radiation may leak through gap between the side panel and the casing.
It is thus desirable to have a computer casing comprising locking mechanism which facilitates efficient assembly of disk drive cages and side panels to a computers casing.